EU announces additional emergency aid for refugees in Serbia

The European Commission has announced an additional €4 million in humanitarian aid for Serbia to assist the thousands of refugees and asylum-seekers in the country. Some €80 million has now been provided to the country in EU migration related funding since 2015.

The new contracts come as Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides undertakes his fourth visit to the country where he is assessing the humanitarian situation on the ground and discussing the EU's humanitarian support for refugees with government officials, including Serbian President Mr Aleksandar Vučić and Prime Minister Ms Ana Brnabić.

Serbia has been a reliable partner to the European Union, and our partnership has allowed an effective response to the refugee crisis. The EU has been a leading provider of humanitarian aid to the hosting of refugees in Serbia since 2015. We have helped improve conditions in many reception centres, contributed to food provision in camps, provided education in emergencies to children and helped providing health services. The additional projects announced today will address the needs of the most vulnerable population especially during the upcoming winter season.

Commissioner Christos Stylianides

The new projects finance food distribution in reception centres, the protection of the most vulnerable affected populations in particular during the upcoming winter and education-related activities. Since 2015, the EU has been the largest contributor of emergency aid to Serbia.

The Commission's humanitarian aid now stands at €25 million, and has enabled the provision of emergency assistance (food, water, hygiene, essential items, health and protection) at transit and reception points, including borders and waiting areas.)